I have enjoyed taking time off this summer. Taking a break after working 25 year straight with no gaps has been eye opening for me.

I’ve grown and learned some things about myself, making me a better person! So much value in this.

I spent most of the summer with my son and many times it felt like a ‘job’ and not the relaxing summer I thought it would be.

Alex had summer school for three weeks, and on the last day of picking him up my car died. Alternator was toast and that was an unexpected expense. We made the most of the day hanging out downtown looking at art and taking photos. We call this ‘meandmuhdad’ time because Alex only wants to do these thins with me.

Driving school started this year and there has been a lot shuttling back and forth a few times per week, as well as scheduled drives.

My wonderful partner left for the summer on her own journey and was gone several months. A much needed break for her and I was happy she had the opportunity to connect with old friends across the country. I spent time taking care of her house while she was away.

All of these felt like jobs in a way and I haven’t been idle or really had any time for myself. I need a full on break where I am disconnected from the world for a week. The mountains are calling.

I am finally starting to look at jobs and the job market is interesting now. I am only interested in companies that really want leaders who will mentor and grow teams in a healthy way. I see more of this in job descriptions now and it is encouraging. The right fit will happen and I look forward to starting new again.

It is not a challenge, it is an opportunity to take everything I have learned and apply it to a new space while continuing to learn and grow.

I did it. I quit my job towards the end of June. The environment had become so toxic and the culture had changed dramatically with new leadership.

I could not work for a group of people who don’t share the same work values and ethics any longer. This was a difficult choice because I had been with this company for almost 9 years and I had built this amazing team of engineers. I honestly loved working with every single one of them.

It was shocking to see how a leadership change impacted our culture so quickly, and how the feedback around culture was not well received. The response was “if you don’t like it here, leave”.

I’ve never been that kind of leader and I never will.

Hire the right people, let them shine and grow. Mentor them. Don’t punish them for making mistakes if they learn from it. Treat them as PEERS not as objects that serve you. Push them to better themselves and enable the ability to do so.

Looking back on how stressed I was before I left my position and it is amazing how I bad it was and how I was so down in it that I couldn’t recognize the signs. I was tired, unhealthy and miserable. It became the norm.

Taking time off was difficult. I had to learn how to relax and be myself again and it was 100% worth it.

I refuse to work for a company that has a toxic culture in the future. I look forward to my next steps and am excited and refreshed.